Internship programme - Regional Office for Europe

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME \:
All the Member States of WHO in the European Region share the common value of the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental human right. All of WHO actions are based on this and rooted in the underlying values of equity, solidarity and participation.

WHO's mandate revolves around six core functions\:

• Providing leadership on global health matter;
• Shaping the health research agenda;
• Setting norms and standards;
• Articulating evidence-based policy options;
• Providing technical support to countries;
• Monitoring and assessing health trends.

The European Region (EURO) of WHO is made up of 53 countries, with over 880 million people. The diversity of people and health situations requires, on the demand side, a solid understanding of the emerging socio-economic, epidemiologic and demographic patterns and trends at both aggregate as well as national and sub-national levels, with due sensitivity to disadvantaged populations and vulnerable segments of the society. On the supply side, it is equally crucial to have a solid understanding of the commonalities and divergences of the health systems, the circumstances and political economy under which they have evolved and operate.

Objectives of the WHO internship programme\:
(a) to provide a framework for assigning students from diverse academic backgrounds to WHO programmes, where educational experience can be enhanced through practical work assignments;
(b) to expose students to the work of WHO; and
(c) to provide WHO programmes with the assistance of students specializing in various fields. Most students are placed in health related programmes, although other disciplines can be considered as appropriate.
Additionally there are limited possibilities for students in disciplines such as\: Information Technology, Communications and Media Relations, Human Resources, Business Administration and/or Public Administration, Legal.

Divisions/Units – WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark

Regional Director’s Office (Country relations and corporate communications; Regional governance; Strategic partnerships and resource mobilization.)

Division of Policy and Governance for Health and Well-being (National and sub-national health policies; Governance for health; Equity, social determinants, gender and rights; Vulnerability and health; Coordination, environment and health; European environment and health governance and multisectoral partnerships.)

Division of Health Systems and Public Health (Health services delivery; Public health services; Human resources for health; Health technologies and pharmaceuticals.)

Division of Health Emergencies and Communicable Diseases (Infectious Hazard Management; Country health emergency preparedness and IHR; Health emergency information and risk assessment; Emergency operations; Core services;Vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization; Joint Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis; Control of antimicrobial resistance; Malaria, NTDs and other vector borne diseases.)

Division of Noncommunicable Diseases and Promoting Health through the Life-course (Integrated prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases; Mental health and mental disorders; Violence and injury prevention; Tobacco control; Alcohol and illicit drugs; Nutrition, physical activity and obesity; Child and adolescent health and development; Sexual and reproductive health; Healthy ageing, disability and long-term care.)

Division of Information, Evidence, Research and Innovation (Evidence and information for policy-making; Health monitoring, analysis and dissemination; Monitoring and surveillance systems and databases; eHealth and innovation; Library, languages and publications.)

Division of Administration and Finance (Administrative services and conferences; Finance, compliance and procurement; Human Resources Services; Information and communications technology; Legal support; Programme and resource management.)

Office Locations WHO Regional Office for Europe
WHO Regional Office for Europe, Denmark; WHO Country Office, Albania; WHO Country Office, Armenia; WHO Country Office, Azerbaijan; WHO Country Office, Belarus; WHO Country Office, Bosnia and Herzegovina; WHO Country Office, Bulgaria; WHO Country Office, Croatia; WHO Country Office, Czech Republic; WHO Country Office, Estonia; WHO Country Office, Georgia; WHO Country Office, Hungary; WHO Country Office, Kazakhstan; WHO Country Office, Kyrgyzstan; WHO Country Office, Latvia; WHO Country Office, Lithuania; WHO Country Office, Montenegro; WHO Country Office, Poland; WHO Country Office, Republic of Moldova; WHO Country Office, Romania; WHO Country Office, Russian Federation; WHO Country Office, Serbia; WHO Country Office, Slovakia; WHO Country Office, Slovenia; WHO Country Office, Tajikistan; WHO Country Office, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; WHO Country Office, Turkey; WHO Country Office, Turkmenistan; WHO Country Office, Ukraine; WHO Country Office, Uzbekistan; 

WHO European Centre for Health Policy, Brussels – Belgium; 

WHO Representation to the European Union, Brussels - Belgium; 

WHO Project Office, Greece
WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Strengthening, Barcelona - Spain
WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development, Venice - Italy
WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, Bonn - Germany
WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care, Almaty – Kazakhstan

WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, Moscow - Russian Federation

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES\:
Under the supervision of a technical expert in the respective area, interns are assigned a project based on agreed terms of references and in line with their skills set. These terms of references typically include some or all of the following responsibilities\:

• review literature, literature surveys
• undertake web research and data collection on specific subject area
• organize data and documents
• assist in drafting, formatting and editing policy briefs, toolkits, guides/manuals, hand-outs, brochures, and reports
• participate in on-going departmental projects
• assist in organizing workshops, events

The Terms of References (TORs) will be drafted by the technical unit concerned and will be discussed and agreed upon by the supervisor and intern candidate once selection is successful. TORs would contain the technical tasks to be performed by the intern to support the hiring unit.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education\:
Applicants must meet the following requirements\:
Have completed three years of full-time studies (bachelor's level or equivalent) at a university or equivalent institution prior to commencing the assignment; AND be enrolled in a course of study at a university or equivalent institution leading to a formal qualification (applicants who have already graduated may also qualify for consideration provided that they start the internship within six months after completion of their formal qualification).

Skills\:
Core competences
Team work
Respecting and promoting individual and cultural difference
Communication

All interns should possess the following skills in line with the WHO core competencies\:

Communicating effectively orally and in writing
Showing willingness to learn from mistakes
Producing and delivering quality results
Working collaboratively with team members

In addition, interns need to be familiar with commonly used computer programmes, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Knowledge of specialized computer programmes in statistical software may be an advantage.

Experience\:
Applicants are not required to have professional work experience for participating in the internship programme at WHO. However, depending on the area of interest, the below experience may be needed and/or would be an advantage\:

• Experience in research and in drafting reports
• Experience in the subject area through academic work or research
• Field and/or developing country experience
• Experience with data analysis, statistical packages and interest in the design of graphical display and analysis of health information in an international comparative perspective, such as for health system performance assessment
• More specific experience such as specialized computer programmes

Use of language skills
Essential\: Interns should have a good working knowledge of English (reading, writing and speaking).
Desirable\: Knowledge of a WHO official language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and knowledge of the local language in some destinations.

Additional Requirements\:
Be at least twenty years of age on the date of application
Be able to work full-time
Not be related to a staff member (e.g. son/daughter, brother/sister or mother/father)
Have not previously participated in WHO's Internship Programme
Hold a valid passport of a WHO Member State.

Additional Information\:
Please note that internships at WHO are very competitive and only a small number of applicants will be accepted every year. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

WHO Internships are not paid. Living abroad is expensive and finding accommodation can be challenging. All intern candidates should be aware of these factors before they consider applying for a WHO Internship.

Interns will be responsible for applying, obtaining, and financing the necessary visas – if needed.

WHO accepts no responsibility for medical insurance of interns or costs arising from illness incurred during an internship
Interns are not eligible for appointment to any position in WHO for a period of three months following the end of the internship.

If selected for a WHO Internship, you will be required to provide certified copies of proof of enrollment in a course of studies, transcript of university course work/records of current studies, supporting letter from a Professor, and proof of personal medical insurance (illness) coverage.

Interviews are usually used as a form of screening.

All applications for WHO Internships are made available to technical units for review. The period of time for this review is indeterminate.

We strongly recommend that candidates also upload a motivation letter in their application. 

WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.